I’m always excited about the ridiculous abundance of fruits and vegetables at Pike Place Market, but rarely am I stopped in my tracks by what I see. But that was the case when I saw my first broccoli romanesco this weekend at Sosio’s Produce & Fruit (definitely our favorite stand in the market) where Mike Osborn offered us a taste and acknowledged that, yes, broccoli romanesco forms “a perfect fractal.”

He also told us an amusing story about how he gave the seeds to a produce supplier, who later toured Mike through his farm, lamenting that the plants, which he pointed out in the sunshine, weren’t getting very big. Then they turned a corner, where it was discovered that broccoli romanesco apparently really, really like a little shade — there was a patch of them under a tree, each “as big as a medicine ball.” For the record, raw broccoli romanesco feels like a cross between broccoli and cauliflower, but with more sweetness than both. We’re going to cook some up tonight, and I’ll report on our success. — Mary T.